


What the future holds

by ghostconstellations



Category: The Devil Wears Prada (2006)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Teachers, F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-20
Updated: 2018-07-16
Packaged: 2019-05-26 03:02:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,436
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14991353
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ghostconstellations/pseuds/ghostconstellations
Summary: Andy is 22 years old and pregnant when she finds a job as an English teacher at local, very prestigious, private school. The principal of the school is Miranda Priestly. A legend among teachers and students all over the United States, known for her firm and direct approach, she is respected but feared. This story follows Andy and her starting relationship with Miranda.





	1. Endings and beginnings

The last couple of years have been hard for Andy Sachs. While still being unemployed, just out of college, she got pregnant. After she cautiously shared the news of new life with her boyfriend at the time, Nate, she continued her journey of parenthood on her own. Nate wasn’t interested in being a father. ‘Sorry Andy,’ he had said, as he was packing a duffle bag with his t-shirts and jeans, ‘I just can’t do this,’ he gathered all the pots and pans from the kitchen and put them in big suitcase, ‘we’re too young for this. Not just me, you also Andy. I mean… you just turned 22 for god’s sake.’ He kept on rambling about being too young and wanting to experience life as he emptied out their, no actually, just Andy’s now, kitchen. ‘What do you know about being a mother Andy?’ He said again as he stood still before her, ‘I don’t want to say this, but you wouldn’t know the first thing about being a mother. Why don’t you just get rid of it?’ He was yelling now. Not that Andy heard, she had closed off her mind and ears for him when he first started yelling at her. It was a kind of defence mechanism. She tried to shut his words out. But somehow the last sentence came through to her. No, she didn’t know anything about being a parent, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t do it. Unfortunately Nate just didn’t know when to shut up. Andy’s silence was apparently not noticed by him, or he didn’t care. The latter probably. 

He looked her right in the eye, his left hand holding the bag and his right hand holding the suitcase, ‘Andy, you cannot seriously do this…’he scoffed, ‘you don’t even have a mother.’  
Andy was staring into once packed with pots, pans, kitchen utensils and whatnot, but now completely empty kitchen behind him, as she quietly said: ‘Get the fuck out of here,’ she put her hand on her stomach as if trying to feel support from someone who was not there yet, but would be in six months, ‘get the fuck out of our apartment’. Nate flinched from her emphasis on the word ‘fuck’. He looked at Andy one last time as he shook his head and walked away. His footsteps made a hollow sound on the hardwood floor. Just as he was about to close the door, he heard Andy whisper something.  
‘What did you say,’ he asked agitatedly as he turned around,  
‘Andy?’.  
‘I said we don’t need you Nate. Don’t ever come back here again. Do you hear me?’  
She was angry now, but she kept it inside as she spoke monotonously to Nate. He didn’t deserve her anger. Asshole. She would be happy to never see his face again. Andy truly believed what she said.  
‘Don’t worry Andy,’ he laughed sarcastically, ‘I really won’t.’  
He walked out of the door. 

The door slammed shut and the windows rattled. The bang of the door contrasted nicely with the Nate-phase of her life, Andy thought.  
A phase that was now over for good. She hated him. He had cheated on her with her best friend, lied to her and he had yelled at her when she told him about her pregnancy. Her pregnancy, her baby actually was the only good thing in Andy’s life Nate would ever be able to give her. Because, even though her left her, he didn’t leave her alone. Andy might not have a boyfriend anymore, or a mother, or a father for that matter, because Andy had never known her father, but she wasn’t alone. She had her baby. She touched her stomach again and couldn’t help but smile. No Andy didn’t know anything about being a mother, her own mother had died when she was sixteen years old and she didn’t have a family that could help her or support her. Hell she didn’t even have a job, or a lot of money. But at least she wasn’t alone.

Tears ran down her cheeks. She didn’t know if they were happy tears, or sad tears, or angry ones. Probably all of them. She lied down on her couch and stayed there thinking and dreaming about the life that was about to happen. She dreamt about her future while the sun set. The room was bathed in a soft pink light while Andy slowly fell asleep as day turned into night. She was happy for now, and fell asleep with a smile on her face. There would be enough time to worry about what the future held for her and her baby later, she told herself.


	2. Ready, set...

The next morning Andy woke up with puffy eyes, a stiff neck, an achy back, a dry mouth and swollen feet. Oh yes, life was great. But those were just her physical inconveniences. She slowly opened her eyes and blinked a few times. She sighed. In the back of her mind she could feel all of her worries and all of the things she had to take care of and figure out starting to rise to the surface.  
No, first things first. She scolded herself. Take a shower, eat some breakfast and then start to figure things out. Andy slowly rose up from the couch and stretched her hands above her head. I hope I still have stuff to eat for breakfast. Damn Nate, cleaning out the entire kitchen. Just because he was a chef didn’t mean he had the right to just take whatever from the kitchen that he wanted. He was always just taking liberties, as if it was a matter of fact that he deserved them. Fuck him. Ugh… she could feel a headache coming up again. All right, enough with the thinking about Nate. Let’s take a shower. 

Andy felt a bit better after taking a shower and soothing her body with some body butter that smelt like vanilla. She put on a pair of jeans and a tank top. As she looked in the fridge for some breakfast she noticed that Nate hadn’t just taken pots and pans and whatever, but had also taken last weeks groceries. Nice Nate, thanks. She sighed. Time to do some groceries then. She grabbed her wallet and looked inside it, only 20 dollars left. She knew she had some money in a jar on her desk, but other than that she just had debts. Student loans she had to pay off. Why the hell was college so expensive Andy thought angrily.  
As Andy walked around in the grocery store she started to look at the prices. She calculated in her head how much she could buy of what she needed and have it still be enough. She had made a list at home but now that she read it over and looked at the food prices she realized she’s be happy if she could buy half of what she needed. Eventually she ended up with a lot of bread, milk, eggs, some vitamins, some fruits and vegetables and a pack of toilet paper. That should be enough for a while. 

God, I really have to find a job. In only six months she’d have a little human being to take care of. And children cost money, so much money. Andy knew that better than anyone. Plus, she also had to take care of herself of course that included having to pay bills so she could shower or have electricity or even be able to live in an apartment. She rubbed the left side of her nose again.  
When Andy was back at her apartment she had sat down behind her desk, and had started to look for a new job. Back in New York, where she had lived for a year with Nate she’d had a good writing job at a, not very well known, but respectable radio station. It wasn’t what she wanted to do in the future, but it came close. Well not very close, since she just wrote introductions for famous musicians and made summaries of their works for the radio station, but at least it was a writing job.  
Because what Andy really wanted to be was a writer. 

She had wanted to be a writer ever since she was ten years old. When her mother died, a child worker had suggested to her that she should write her feelings about the things that happened in her life down on paper. It worked. She loved writing. She started to write about other things to: about her foster parents’ lives, about her friends lives. And as Andy moved around each time she moved to a new place she got a new foster family and new friends. All of those new stories of their lives started to become painful for Andy to remember all the time, she just left them in the end anyway after all. So Andy started to make up stories about new friends and a new family. That’s how Andy started to write fiction. It became a way to escape.

So what Andy really wanted to do in the future was to become a novelist. She wanted to share her stories with the world. That is why she had chosen to major in English while she was in college. Bu the writer thing wasn’t really working out yet. It is now September and Andy had graduated college a year ago in June. So far she hadn’t found a good job yet. After she had to leave her job at the radio station in New York because Nate had gotten a great new job at a restaurant in Maine a few months ago, he and Andy had both agreed that at that moment Nate’s career had a better opportunity of evolving than Andy’s and that Andy would move with him to Maine for that reason.

However, a few weeks ago Nate had found out he was fired. It had had something to do with him being the newest employee, Nate had said, so when the restaurant had to cut back because business wasn’t doing so well, he was the first one to go. That’s what Nate had said at least. But apparently that wasn’t the entire truth, Andy had found out a week ago. He had slept with one of the waitresses and there was this rule about not sleeping with colleagues and Nate was a jerk about it to his boss, bragged to his other co-workers about sleeping with the young waitress and that is why Nate had really gotten fired. Serves him right, Andy thought evilly. She had actually found out about the real reason why he got fired from the waitress herself. The girl had called Nate and Andy, had absentmindedly answered his phone. She was confused when the girl was talking to her about going out and telling her how fun last night was when she realized it was Nate’s phone that she was holding to her ear. ‘I’m sorry… but who am I talking to?’ Andy had asked. ‘Who am I talking to?’ the girl had asked her in a surprised voice. ‘Andy… I’m Nate’s girlfriend.’  
‘His girlfriend?!’ the girl shrieked, ‘O my god, I am so sorry, I had no idea Nate had a girlfriend,’ she told her frantically, ‘o shit, I’m sorry.’ ‘Stop rambling jesus,’ Andy had said, she sighed and rubbed her finger over the left side of her nose, a nervous tick. ‘So you slept with Nate then?’ ‘Yes.’  
And that was that. Andy confronted Nate when he came home later that night. He eventually admitted that he had slept with her and that they worked together and that that was the reason why he’d really gotten fired. Andy was so done with him. She couldn’t even get her herself to really yell at him and to really get angry at him. Not that she wasn’t angry at him, no, Andy Sachs was furious. She simply kept it inside. He just made her so tired. She didn’t even care anymore about him, she just wanted him to go away. That was the day she told him they she wanted him to leave. What kind of man would cheat on his pregnant girlfriend after moving her to a town in a state she didn’t know, what kind of person would just fuck up her entire life. Well… Nate apparently. 

 

Anyway Andy was looking for a new job. A writing job was what she really aimed for, but she knew that was hard to get. Especially here, in some small town in Maine, with only one newspaper for the entire region. She had looked on their site already and they didn’t have any job openings, so she’d filled in an open application but she hadn’t gotten a reply back yet. So she had to look for some other jobs too. With her diploma and her major in English she could get a teaching job. Andy never really wanted to be a teacher but right now, she’d do just about anything so she could support herself and her unborn baby. Andy browsed the internet for teaching jobs in the neighbourhood. She lived in a small town in a remote area so there aren’t many school. I could move back to New York, Andy had thought when Nate got fired and when they were consequently both unemployed. But she knew it was too expensive too just move back there without any job prospects. And maybe it would actually be nice to live in a quiet, but calm area when being pregnant. The town she lived in; Drenth, actually had a nice preschool and middle school. There were also several clothing stores in the town centre, a white wooden church and a grocery store of course. The grocery store where she had just spent about ten dollars, which reminded her that she really needed to find a job. 

Scrolling through the results the search engine gave her when she typed in ‘teacher, English, Drenth, or Maine,’ she finally found a website of a school called Bridge Academy. It is a private school she read. A bit off the big road, secluded in the woods. It is very prestigious and the school has won many awards in many competitions, ranging from sports to science to arts. The staff comes from all around the world, Andy read, ‘to ensure an open, accepting and diverse learning space for the students’. And finally… they need a new teacher to teach English literature. Andy’s heart jumped. She clicked on the offer and a few minutes later she sent out an email containing her CV and a motivational letter. She leaned back on her chair she sighed happily. Dreams about the future started rising to surface again. She could just imagine herself walking down those big halls in that old majestic brick stone building, greeting the passing students and preparing for classes and teaching her students about Shakespeare, Jane Eyre, John Milton and many more. She really hoped she’d get the job.  
That evening Andy was sitting on her couch in the living room/dining area/kitchen, it’s a small apartment okay, eating her dinner (a sandwich), and reading the book ‘Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café’ by Fannie Flagg. Suddenly she heard a ping from her computer. A sound that signalled a new email. Quickly Andy set aside her plate and book and she jumped off the couch, ran to her computer and opened her email inbox. Yes! One new email from ECbridgeacademy@gmail.com. She quickly tapped on it and read it out loud to herself and her baby.  
‘Dear ms. Sachs,

The board has reviewed your application and based on your credentials we will be inviting you to our school for an official meeting. I am writing to confirm you application and to invite you on September 6th for a meeting at 17:00. In this meeting we will be able to discuss any offers of future employment.  
If you will be driving here, you will be able to park your car in the teachers’ parking lot. 

Cordially,

Emily Charlton  
Vice Principal

'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I feel like the beginning of this story is going to be a bit slow. I try to make the two leading ladies meet in the next chapter. Patience is a virtue.. lol


	3. Go

The 6th of September is on a Friday. Right now it’s Wednesday. Andy decided that before that time she should visit her doctors’ office again to make sure all was all right with her and her baby.  
She’d met her doctor, Allesandra Smith, two months ago. Right after she found out she was pregnant after peeing on a stick, she called the doctors’ office to make an appointment. She wanted to be absolutely sure she was really pregnant before she told Nate. Dr. Smith had examined her and determined that Andy was really pregnant.  
Dr. Smith was a beautiful woman in her early forties, she grey/blond hair, brown eyes and a kind smile. Andy liked her from the first moment she met her.  
Andy made a call with John, the receptionist. ‘Hi, it’s Andy Sachs. Yes, I’d like to schedule an appointment with dr. Smith… is it possible to do that this week?... all right… Thank you. Yes, tomorrow… uhm… Yes, 2 o’clock should be fine.. Thank you, John. Bye’

Thursday at 13:45 Andy left her apartment to visit the doctors’ office. Luckily the office was close by and the weather was warm, it was almost too hot Andy thought as she walked down the hot asphalt road on the way to the doctor’s office. She could feel sweat starting to pour down her body, the fabric of her bright orange tank top clung to her sweaty body. Andy sighed. Whatever. It’s just sweat, and dr. Smith is, well, a doctor. So she’s probably used to stuff like that. 

‘Heeeeey, Andy,’ John greeted her when she walked in. He sat hunched over the receptionists’ desk and leaned with his head in both his hands over a stack of papers. He looked at her exasperatedly. ‘Allesandra is making me review old patients files,’ he sighed dramatically, ‘ugh’, he said and let his head drop on the papers.  
‘Hi, John,’ Andy laughed. She could hear some mumbling coming from underneath the pile of black curls. ‘What did you say?’  
He tilted his head up for a second an said in a much too cheery voice, that didn’t match his facial expression at all, ‘the doctor will see you now, miss. Sachs!’ He made a vague gesture with his hand towards the blue door on the end of the hallway where Andy knew dr. Smiths’ office was located.  
‘Thank you, John!’ she answered him playfully. John sticked his tongue out to her and dropped his head back on the stack of files again and groaned. Andy turned around and walked towards dr. Smiths’ office. 

‘Hi, doctor Smith,’ Andy smiled brightly as she entered the office and stood still in the door opening for a second. Behind the large white desk, covered with papers, files and a few picture frames, sat her doctor Alessandra Smith. Dr. Smith stood up, ‘Hello, Andy,’ she smiled, ‘I thought I told you to call me Alessandra.’  
‘Oh, yes, all right, sorry.’ Andy quickly said, she closed the door behind her.  
‘How are you today?’ the doctor asked her.  
‘I’m fine, kinda great actually. I have a job interview tomorrow, I’m really nervous about it but also very excited.’ Andy replied as the doctor guided her to the examination part of the office. She lied down.  
‘That’s great Andy! But that sounds very nerve-wracking indeed, make sure you get enough rest, all right?’  
‘Sure Alessandra.’  
‘So, where is this interview of yours?’  
‘Oh, it’s for the position of English teacher at Bridge Academy. Have you heard of it?’  
‘English teacher? That sounds like something you would like. And of course I have heard of it, everyone here knows Bridge Academy.’ She paused for a second, ‘not that everyone here just goes there, few can afford to go there. If you can’t get a scholarship it’s expensive you know?’ she looked a bit irritated.  
‘I know,’ Andy sighed, ‘that’s my issue with private schools as well,’ she leant back, ‘but I feel like this is a great opportunity for me.’ She bit her lip, ‘and I really need the job.’  
‘Of course, Andy,’ dr. Smith looked at her and smiled again, ‘this is a good thing for you, try not to stress too much.’ She looked through a few of Andy’s files before she continued talking. ‘Bridge Academy isn’t really in town and it’s a long distance to be walking Andy. Do you know how you’re going to get there?’  
‘Hmm… no not yet,’ I was thinking of going by bus, but my interview is at 5 PM and the bussed here only drive until 4 PM for some reason.’ Things like that made Andy miss New York and the city’s 24 hour public transport service.  
They were silent again for a while, while the doctor perused one of Andy’s medical files. ‘You could borrow my car, if you’d like.’  
‘Really? I don’t want to put you out.’ Andy asked, a bit astonished by Alessandra’s kindness.  
‘Of course, Andy,’ she smiled at her and winked, ‘anything for my favourite patient.’  
Andy blushed. ‘Thank you so, so much. Really, I greatly appreciate it.’ Things like this didn’t make Andy miss New York. She doubted anyone in that city would’ve ever just let her borrow her their car after knowing them only for two months.  
Half an hour later, Andy stood outside of the doctor’s office again. Having just been declared healthy by her very nice doctor, who also lent Andy her car for friday. Andy smiled, today was a good day.  
That night she wrote again, for what felt like for the first time in ages. And it felt really good Andy thought as her fingers raced over de keypads of her laptop. The ticking sound it made, had Andy feeling as if she was listening to one of her favourite songs. The writing itself wasn’t really furthering her dream of working as a real writer, she was just writing in her diary, but still it felt like progress. She did more writing that night than she had done in a very long time.  
The next day she went to the library and borrowed a couple of parenting books. Once back at her small, albeit cozy now that she had decorated it a bit to her own tastes since Nate left, Andy sat down on her pale red, but comfortable couch. She spent the rest of the day reading through the books she borrowed and researching more parenting stuff online. She even googled a few recipes for suitable baby food and wrote them down. In preparation for her interview the following day Andy read a few pages of ‘Pride and Prejudice’ and went to bed early.

 

‘Hi,’ Andy smiled, ‘my name is Andy Sachs, well actually if you read my CV,’ she laughed a fake sort of polite laugh, ‘you’ll see that it’s Andrea Sachs, but I go by Andy. So you can just call me Andy!’ Shit that was too enthusiastic. The brown eyes in the rear-view-mirror of dr. Smith’s car stared back at her and suddenly she realized how nervous and tired she looked. Shit Andy, just get it together. It’s just a job interview, it’s not like you’ve never had one before. It’s just that a lot depends on it. Having a job was more important than ever right now, she really needed the income. And not just that, she actually really wanted the job. Andy had thought about it a lot in the past couple of days, and the more she thought about it, the more exiting she became. Being an English teacher was never on her life’s to-do-list but now that she had the change of becoming one it didn’t sound so bad. Of course her main goal was still to become a real writer, but that could wait for a little while. Besides, it was not as if becoming a teacher was going to make her stop writing. No, getting back into English literature might actually spark her creative flame again, she thought. 

Having a bunch of students she could explain literature to sounded really amazing too. Maybe I’ll even be able to inspire them to write some great stuff! Andy thought happily.  
Okay, Andy. Just keep it nice and simple she said to herself. ‘Hi, my name is Andrea Sachs, but I go by Andy. I’d love to become a teacher here. This school looks like a great place to develop and to motivate students. I have a tremendous passion for the English language.’ Her smile faltered again. A ‘tremendous passion’… didn’t that sound just a bit too fake? No, Andy, no no no… it will be fine. She smiled at herself again in the rear-view-mirror. The brown eyes smiled back again. She took a deep breath and held her hand on her stomach. Okay, here we go. 

 

Click. The car door softly closed behind Andy after she stepped out of the blue Toyota and shut the door with her left hand. In her right hand she held her briefcase. Andy stood still for a second to admire the beautiful school building before her. She could barely believe this was really a school. It looked more like small castle, like something the characters in the romantic English classics she loved so much always lived. The large building was made of red brick stones and looked like an English mansion build in the Victorian style of architecture. Large, bright green fields of grass surrounded the building on all sides. A long gravelly pathway led from the parking area to the large wooden doors. Andy walked down the path. Looking around amazed by what she was seeing. 

 

Once inside the school she informed a blonde haired receptionist of her presence. The woman clicked on a few keys on her computer while Andy waited in front of her desk. ‘Andrea Sachs, right?’  
‘Yes, that’s me,’ Andy smiled, ‘but I go by Andy actually.’  
‘All right, sit down and wait on one of those chairs,’ the woman answered in a curt, but professional tone, ‘Emily Charlton, the one you emailed with, will come get you in a few seconds.’ 

 

A few minutes into her interview with Emily Charlton, the vice principal of Bridge Academy, Andy could feel her annoyance starting to rise. Up until now the vice principal had been nothing but blunt and had made Andy feel unwelcome at the school. She asked her questions like she had no interest in getting Andy a job at all. In fact, the girl just summed up a list of all of Andy’s inadequacies.  
The thin, red haired woman spoke to Andy in an almost bored tone, ‘you have no experience… you’re just out of college… you’re not from here… you work at a radio station…’ she paused, and muttered under her breath, ‘why would you even apply for a job here.’ Andy pretended not to hear her. She tried to keep her hopes up, maybe the woman would come around. ‘Well, ms. Charlton, as you can read in my cv…’ Andy tried to say again before she got interrupted the entrance door of the office opening behind her. In the doorway stood a woman. But not just a woman, she was Miranda Priestly, Andy recognized her immediately from the pictures she had seen of her online in the articles about her.  
The woman’s presence hit her like a sucker punch. Blown away by her beauty and the intriguing aura of power surrounding her Andy could do nothing but just look at her. Suddenly she was very thankful that she was sitting down because her legs felt weak. Never in her life had Andy been so overwhelmed by just a person, a person she didn’t even know yet, she hadn’t said even said hello to yet, just a person standing close to her. Not even that close.  
Miranda was standing in the door opening, as the vice principal Emily Charlton was still seated behind, what was apparently the principal’s, and not the vice principal’s, desk. She was wearing a dark, charcoal coloured dress. Not that Andy gave a fuck, she could’ve worn a lime green jumpsuit for all she cared, and still have looked beautiful and powerful and terribly intimidating. Miranda’s piercing blue eyes found Andy’s.  
‘Who is this, miss. Charlton?’ She asked in a low voice.  
‘Hello, Miranda!’ Emily suddenly said very eagerly, her tone having changed drastically in comparison to the tone she spoke to Andy with. ‘This is no one, I was just interviewing…’  
‘No one, Miss. Charlton, I would hope you wouldn’t just invite here. And to speak to during school time, in my office after all.’ She paused, in which she averted her eyes from Andy, who still hadn’t said anything, to Emily.  
Emily nervously fidgeted with her hands on Andy’s resume. ‘Well, actually, I’m sorry… this is Andrea Sachs, but she goes by Andy,’ Emily said that last bit in a bit of a mocking tone. ‘Andy, is here for the job interview for the position of English teacher. But don’t worry Miranda I’ll deal with it. She’s not fit to work here anyway.’ She laughed nervously. ‘Just out of college, has never worked at a serious job in her life…’  
‘Hey!’ Andy interrupted her, ‘don’t talk about me like that.’ Before Emily started nervously tearing down Andy’s credibility as a teacher, Andy had still been looking at Miranda. But now she turned towards Emily again. She wasn’t just going to let this woman who didn’t even know walk all over her. ‘I know I don’t have a lot of experience…’ 

‘Shh,’ Miranda suddenly interrupted her, ‘I’ll take this over from you Emily.’  
‘Uhm, Miranda, are you sure? I could, I mean, I was…’  
‘Goodbye Emily,’ Miranda said in an impatient voice and walked towards her desk. Emily quickly stood up and darted out of the office. Miranda took her place behind the desk. She looked at Andy’s resume for a second and then neatly piled it up and put it aside. She looked at Andy. The girl shivered from the intense look she got from the white-haired woman. 

‘So,’ Miranda said and leant back in her desk chair, she folded her hands on the desk , ‘Andrea, what makes you fit to work here?’


	4. Sweaty and anxious

It was quiet for a while. Miranda read Andy’s papers while Andy stayed seated across from her. The older woman was waiting for her to answer her question. What made Andrea Sachs think she could become a teacher at her school? Andy tried to stop fidgeting with her hands, but it wasn’t really working. She just kept touching the hem of her warm dress, plucking at it, as if there was dust or something on it. She was starting to really regret her choice to wear tights under her dark brown dress, the weather was much too hot for that today. Andy couldn’t help but imagine that the drops of sweat trickling down her back were small insects crawling over her body. Shit. She felt herself getting anxious again. Anxiety always made her imagine her body and herself in odd situations, usually involving insects or other small things that made her skin itch.  
Andy knew she was supposed to say something right now. Something to convince principal Priestly that she could be a teacher. One that was fit to work at Bridge Academy, even though Emily was right. She didn’t have any teaching experience and she was a bit young.  
Andy herself, however, believed that she could do it, so she might as well try to convince Miranda that she could do it as well. Miranda Priestly had the final say in her employment after all. If Andy got the job, Miranda would be her boss.  
Andy had googled Miranda when she was at home, after applying for the job. And as it turned out, the woman was a legend among teachers. She had been working in education non-stop since she finished university. She founded a bunch of school all by herself, including schools with extra educational programmes for people with mental or physical disabilities and for children with learning disabilities. There were books to her name. “The power of education” “A new way” “The importance of being diligent”, and all of them were about her approach to education and teaching. She was important in this world, she knew what she was doing and she had been doing it for a long time. Compared to Miranda Priestly she, Andy Sachs, was entirely insignificant. However, Andy was sure they had at least one thing in common: passion. Andy was passionate about literature and writing and English and by all means, teaching. As was Miranda. A  
Let’s give this a try Andy, she told herself. ‘I went to college and I majored in English,’ she blurted out. Miranda raised an eyebrow at her.  
Andy took a deep breath and tried to calm her nerves, she started to speak again. A bit slower this time. 

‘Good afternoon principal Priestly, my name is Andy Sachs.’ Andy started.  
‘Call me Miranda,’ the principal didn’t say it in a friendly or pleading way, she said it as if it was just a fact. Just the way it was. It wasn’t a nicety to get to call her Miranda, Andy immediately thought, It’s just normal.  
‘Okay, Miranda. Well, I’m Andy Sachs,’ she repeated, ‘and…’  
Miranda interrupted her again before she could finish her sentence. ‘Andy?’ she asked, pronouncing her name as if she was tasting something bad, ‘I thought Emily just told me your name is Andrea Sachs?’  
‘Yes, but I go by Andy,’ she nervously rubbed her nose.  
Miranda looked at her for a second, and then seemed to decide upon something. She settled back in her chair. ‘Very well, Andrea, continue.’  
Andy’s mind stuttered for a second when she heard the way Miranda said her name. God.  
Okay Andy get back to it. Her internal monologue tried to convince her to speak some intelligible words again. Stop sweating so much Andy, she scolded herself again, and start talking.  
She took a breath and started to speak again. 

‘I know I don’t have a lot of experience, but in college I really learned a lot. I learned about various subjects, such as journalism and arts and geography and English of course. And what I learned in English class was… Well, I suppose I got to, um, well I got to learn about literature. Virginia Woolf, F. Scott Fitzgerald, of course, were in my reading assignments and essays. But also the lesser known literary figures, such as Fannie Flagg, or the more contemporary like Benjamin Alire Savenz or Chaim Potok, were spoken about in class. And I think it really helped me to, you know, understand literature though the ages, and literature in general of course. Specifically English literature. I just have a tremendous passion for the English language. I’m also willing to work very hard and I’m, well as I said, passionate about the subject. Which is why I strongly believe I would have a lot to contribute to this school and to the teaching departments,’ as she spoke her voice rose in volume, ‘and of course, most important of all, I believe, and I hope you will believe that too, that I have a lot to teach the students,’ the moment she stopped speaking she realized she had shifted her gaze from the cream-colored wall behind Miranda, to Miranda herself.

Right now Andy’s eyes were searching Miranda as she sat across from her. Looking stony-faced but beautiful. The woman hadn’t said anything since Andy started speaking. What is she thinking? Was it okay what I said. Andy could feel her cheeks turning red. Oh no, Andy don’t blush. Not now! Damn me and my pale skin. Ugh. It was hot, too hot. She started to feel sweaty again. Uncertainty was flying through Andy’s head. She tried to appear calm on the outside. Did I sound too cocky? Oh god... I sounded so presumptuous. Can you stop being such a know-it-all Andy?!  
As Andy kept internally knocking down her confidence in the little speech she gave principal Priestly, Miranda had seemingly come to a decision. The white-haired woman stood up from her chair. Her slender figure illuminated by the late evening sunlight coming from the window behind her. She turned towards Andy and tilted her head. Andy nervously looked up at her. She wanted to say something else, but she couldn’t think of anything. 

Pudding, Andy thought. That is what my brains are. Just weird slimy pudding. Unable to produce a coherent thought. No, not with those eyes fixed on hers. Icy blue eyes just looked at her in a scrutinizing way, as if trying to figure something out that she could not quite understand. Or believe. 

No more than a few words left Miranda’s pink rose colored lips. Her voice sounding like an airy whisper. 

‘That’s all.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, this is a bit of a short chapter. I think the next one will be longer! By the way, if i am making spelling mistakes or other things like that, please tell me. I'm not a native English speaker.  
> Have a nice day!


	5. You got it

Miranda was finally alone. Back in the privacy of her own office she ran her hand over her face. Massaging her forehead. She felt exhausted. When she woke up this morning, she really had not expected the today to turn out like this. When she had met the young woman in the late afternoon she’d been intrigued. The girl was so young, yet so wise. Not that she showed her wisdom at first. No, she babbled. Miranda could tell she was very nervous. It was slightly amusing to her. People were always a bit nervous around her, it was nothing new. Comes with the stories, she thought.  
When Miranda had first started as a teacher, there wasn’t a lot of space for her new ideas. Her former boss, an old and bitter man, regarded her as nothing but an unimportant and unexperienced, and above all annoying, English teacher. But after a couple of years and more importantly after gaining the respect of her fellow teachers and of the students she got to carry out some of her ideas about education. Eventually she became principal herself, and a young one thereat.   
That position set open a lot of new doors for her. But the position also came with a lot of responsibility. She spent a lot of time in the office working on her ideas, all the time spent in her office was, unfortunately, time not spent at home. Her husband at the time, James, complained about it continuously. But Miranda didn’t care very much. Later she often thought she should’ve cared more. Or she should’ve noticed sooner that she didn’t care that she couldn’t spend a lot of time with her husband. Back then, however, she didn’t have the time to think about that. A couple of years later, she also didn’t have the time to feel sad about her divorce. She set up a bunch of special schools and gained national recognition for her progressive changes and modifications in the educational systems that she was active in. Her work made her feel happy.   
In some way, the young woman she had met for the first time today, reminded her a bit of herself. Just a little bit. When the doe-eyed girl, had regained her confidence and gave Miranda her little speech. It became clear to Miranda that she shared with her that same passion. She wanted to do what was right for the students. Miranda had no doubt that the woman would make a good fit in Bridge Academy. Yes, it was a though environment for teachers, they had to work really hard. But she could tell that the woman had it in her. Even if she was just a tad naïve. It looked as if the woman was growing. 

Not that she’d told the woman that. She was going to let Emily call Andrea Sachs to tell her that she got the job. But Emily didn’t get the change to call Andrea today, and so, neither Emily nor Miranda got the change to tell the young woman that she got the job. 

Miranda had been cold. ‘That’s all,’ she said after the woman was finished talking. And to most people ‘that’s all’ sounds a lot like the ending of a conversation that won’t lead anywhere. Miranda hadn’t meant it that way. After ending the conversation she’d stood up and had intended to walk away. She sighed as she recounted the events of the day. 

But Andrea overcame her nerves within minutes. She was confident in what she was saying, Miranda could tell. And what she said was actually very interesting. As she was listening to the young brown-haired woman, Miranda was… well, intrigued. Her sudden confidence was captivating. You could almost say it was attractive, not that the older woman would ever admit that to anyone. Not even to herself.  
Miranda, however, couldn’t help her cold nature in that moment. So she’d just finished the conversation with an old classic “that’s all”. After hearing Andrea’s little speech, which was a bit cocky, but confident enough, Miranda had every intention of hiring her. She actually thought the girl would make a good fit. 

After she said that’s all, Miranda stood up. She walked, without looking at the young woman sitting in front of her desk, to the door. She intended to tell Emily to give Andrea a call later that day. But faith, apparently, didn’t agree with her. 

 

A second before Miranda was about to exit the office, she heard Andrea’s chair scraping on the wooden floor behind her when the woman stood up. Immediately she slowed her step. Curious towards what the woman might say, or do.   
“Hey,” Andrea’s unsteady voice spoke out to her, “what do you…” her voice faltered.   
A bang sounded through the office. Then a wheezing sigh and the muffled thud of a body falling on the floor. Shocked, Miranda turned around. On the floor lied the young woman. Her eyes closed and her face a sickly shade of white. Drops of sweat lied on her forehead like small pearls. Miranda’s heart started racing.   
No, no no no no… 

“Emily!” she shrieked in the hallway, “call a doctor” she leaned down to check Andrea’s pulse, “right now!”   
She pressed two fingers against her soft warm neck and felt her heart beating softly but steadily. She sighed in relief. Kneeling down next to the young woman’s unconscious body she put her hand on her forehead, it felt too hot. 

“Andrea,” she said. The white-haired principal tried to speak calmly, as to not appear out of sorts by this woman fainting in her office, after merely talking to Miranda. Damn. Miranda knew people were always a bit on edge around her, but never had she actually made somebody fall to the floor. She felt as if this was her fault. She felt guilty. And Miranda didn’t often feel guilty. She tried to rid herself of that foreign feeling by focussing her attention on the beautiful young woman lying before her. Beautiful? Did she really just think that? Okay, no, Miranda. Focus. 

“Andrea, can you wake up?” She asked softly. She noticed a small movement behind her closed eyelids. It looks as if the young woman could wake up any moment. She still didn’t look very well though. Even with her light complexion, Andrea looked much too pale. Her skin still felt hot and clammy when Miranda touched her. She wondered when the doctor would arrive. She sincerely hoped that Andrea didn’t faint because of her, she never wanted to be the cause of somebody else’s sickness. 

Emily suddenly stuck her fiery-red haired head through the door opening. “Miranda the doctor is here,” she informed Miranda, before darting out of the office again. Miranda could hear the clicking sound of a woman’s heels approaching her office. Much like the sound she, herself made whenever she walked the halls of the old school with the hard wooden floors. A second later the source of the clicking emerges. Still sitting in a kneeling position next to Andrea – and not leaving her side any time soon – Miranda looked up. So, this must be the doctor. The woman looked casual but professional at the same time, she’s wore high nude-coloured heels and a light blue dress. Unable to withhold herself from her usual habits, Miranda perused the woman’s outfit with pursed lips. But the doctor didn’t show any signs of nervousness when Miranda gave her that look. That didn’t happen often.   
The doctor looked at Andy for a second and then turned towards Miranda, “I think we have met before, but I’m not sure if you remember. My name is Alessandra Smith, I’m Andy’s doctor, and I’ll be taking it from here,” she said. Then she walked over to where Andy was lying on the ground. She kneeled beside Andy on her left side. Across from Miranda. Miranda looked at doctor Smith, feeling slightly defensive. ‘I’ll be taking it from here, I am Andy’s doctor,’ the doctor said, to Miranda it sounded a bit possessive. Too possessive to Miranda’s liking. She decided to remain where she was and didn’t answer the doctor. 

Andy’s eyes fluttered. Her eyelashes looked even darker, when her complexion was in such a colourless state, Miranda thought.   
“Hi, Andy, are you with me now?” the doctor asked Andy while sending her a sweet smile.   
A groaning sound came out of Andrea’s mouth. She breathed louder.   
The doctor turned towards Miranda again, “I’ll be taking it from here ms. Priestly,” she said again sounding more stern this time, “it would be helpful if you waited outside, I want to examine Andy.”

“This is my office, I’ll be staying here,” Miranda answered. But she did stand up to give doctor Smith her space to make sure that Andrea was all right. She moved back and leaned against the wall of her office next to the entrance door. She sighs. The young woman looks nothing like she did just a while ago, talking passionately and confidently. She looks weak. And Miranda finds that doesn’t suit her. 

Both the doctor and Miranda sighed in relieve when a croaking voice was heard though the office. “Hi,” says Andrea. Her big brown eyes now opened, although still fluttering. Her loud breathing has stopped and she tries to sit up. Miranda watched her closely, and so did dr. Smith.   
“Hello Andrea, do you remember what happened?” doctor Smith asked in a kind voice while putting two fingers on Andrea’s forehead to check her temperature. 

“Uh,” she croaked, and cleared her throat, “yes, I, Uhm, had an interview with… Doctor Smith?” She suddenly seemed to realize that it’s the doctor who’s talking to her, “what are you doing here?” she asked confusedly. Trying to sit up again, she pushed herself off the floor by leaning on her elbows.   
“Andrea,” Miranda says, and she tries to sound professional and not like she’s worried at all about some girl she doesn’t even know, “you decided the floor of my office was a great place to fall down to, so when I heard the bang of your head against the floor, I had Emily call the doctor.” She waved her hand in the direction of doctor Smith. “This is doctor Smith.”

“Yes, I know,” she turned towards doctor Smith and smiles. Miranda feels a pang of something that has a vague resemblance to jealousy. Though, she doesn’t understand why. Doctor Smith is merely doing her job and Andrea Sachs is her patient. That makes her wonder how Andrea already knew doctor Smith. She hasn’t been in town for a very long time, Miranda thinks. She, at least, hadn’t seen the young brunette walking around Drenth before. But apparently she’d lived in Drenth long enough to have to visit a doctor. Maybe for the same reason she suddenly fainted, Miranda ponders. Abruptly she stopped her strain of thought, and scolds herself for trying to mind other people’s business. 

“How are you feeling Andy?” The doctor asked.

“Oh I’m fine, really. It’s just so hot in here, I just… fainted,” she laughed a little laugh, as if her fainting was but a funny occurrence. All of the sudden Andrea looked worried as she glanced down at her body.   
Miranda looked at her closely. What’s going on?

“Andy?” doctor Smith asked again, “are you sure you’re okay?”

“I, uhm, I don’t…” she looked at Miranda for a second and then turned her focus back to doctor Smith. She leaned over to the woman and whispered something in her ear. Miranda frowned. She sees doctor Smith nod at the brunette and then leaned away from her. She stood up and walks towards Miranda.   
Miranda raises her eyebrow at her. What now? She thought. 

“Miranda, I have to examine my patient, so if you would be so kind to leave the office.” Doctor Smith rather told, than asked Miranda. 

Miranda understood that there’s nothing she could say at that moment that would enable her to stay in her office and watch over Andrea. So she nodded at doctor Smith. “Before I step out, I have one more thing to say to miss Sachs,” she said as she turns away from the doctor and walks towards Andrea. 

Not lying on the floor anymore, but sitting up now, Andrea looked up at Miranda as the latter towers over her on her high heels.   
The older woman noted that Andrea looked unsure, and a tiny bit frightened. Taking a deep breath she tried to make her face look more soft and comforting to the young woman. She wouldn’t want her to faint again. 

“About the job Andrea,” she started. Andy looks away, her brown eyes holding an air of disappointment. “You got it, you got the job miss Sachs. I will have Emily write you a contract and give it to you on Monday. The first day of your teaching job. Emily will also tell you about the specifics then and you’ll get someone else to guide you on Monday and show you the ropes.” Miranda finished and turned around to walk towards the door again. 

“Thank you so much ms. Priestly.” Andy said happily, her cheeks almost hurting from the size of her smile. “I’ll see you on Monday then.”

“Yes. Welcome to Bridge Academy miss Sachs,” Miranda said before she walked out of her office and closed the large dark-brown door behind her.


End file.
